According to Tehran-based English newspaper, Iran Daily, Sardar Cistern, which was made by Sardar brothers during the Qajar era, has the capacity to store 3,000 cubic meters of water, an expert of Qazvin Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department said.
Zahra Amirabadi added that like other cisterns, Sardar cistern is completely closed. Water is gathered from small overflows in the reservoirs, she said.
For public use, they installed the overflows between walls and clay pipes and then a water tap was installed on the back wall to guide water to the other side of the wall.
Water distributor, who is responsible for dredging, enters the cistern when the water is at its lowest level and then removes sludge.
Once Qazvin province had 133 cisterns and that’s why the city was called the ‘city of cisterns’, she said, regretting that of this, only 12 cisterns remain today.
According to an adage in Qazvin, Sardar cistern had the purest water and people used to come from other cities to get water.
She said this cistern dates back to 208 years ago. It was completely restored during the first Pahlavi era, she said, adding that its wooden path and metal pictures are only eight years old.
Cisterns were used till the 1970s, she said, but after the 1980s, their depots were opened to the public and consequently they were turned into museums.
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Tehran, June 2, IRNA - Qazvin province has the biggest single-domed cistern where water is stored underground and cooled by wind towers.
